Like many folks who spend time at the Greenville Zoo, Amanda Osborne is a fan of the giraffes — Autumn and Walter and their 1-year-old calf, Kiko.

But Osborne has more than a casual interest in the welfare of the tall and graceful beasts. She’s the new executive director of Friends of the Greenville Zoo, and she’ll be spearheading the fundraising campaign for the zoo’s 20-year master plan.

Osborne has been on the job for only a few weeks, but she’s already fallen in love with the giraffe family.

“They’re so large and powerful, but quiet and peaceful at the same time,” says Osborne. “It’s sort of this nice mix of power and innocence. I have had the opportunity in a behind-the-scenes tour to get up close with them. ... They have those big, soft eyes, and they look so innocent and precious. And I love that we have the family, the mom and dad and the little one.”

Osborne came to the zoo from a position as area director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem, N.C., region. Most of her career has been spent in the non-profit world, but primarily in organizations that focus on health, human services and children.

This is her first time working in a zoo, but she’s excited about the “tremendous potential” of Greenville’s zoo, and the city’s willingness to support it.

“Greenville seems to have made strides in terms of recruiting new businesses, having a thriving downtown, engaging young professionals, all of the things that they’ve done, other cities are really looking to do. And with the zoo being part of that thriving downtown, it’s just clear there’s great potential for some amazing fundraising and community engagement,” she says.

The master plan will include new exhibits and animals, a family area with carousel, an “entry complex” that takes the place of the ticket booth, and information on conservation, Osborne says.

“Everything is designed to make this the best small zoo in America,” she says.

A native of Sparta, N.C., Osborne spent the past 15 years in Greensboro. She initially thought she might go to law school, but as a graduate student at University of North Carolina-Greensboro, she realized that the non-profit world was where she belonged.

The director of a non-profit organziation came and spoke to her class, and Osborne says she was struck by both the variety of his job responsibilities and the impact he was able to make.

Over the years, Osborne has worked for organizations such as the Girl Scouts and Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic illnesses.

“I like that it’s an opportunity to make a big difference in your community,” Osborne says. “Regular folks can get engaged in fundraising and advocacy and make some sweeping community changes through non-profit engagement.”

She’s still new to the Friends of the Zoo position, but Osborne is already working on a comprehensive plan to raise money for the improvements called for in the master plan.

“I share that vision of making this the best small zoo in America,” she says. “Friends’ role in that is fund-raising and support and advocacy. It’s an important role in order to make this the very best that it can be. I’m excited to lead that charge.”